Kyoto Colors - Palaces

Shishinden Ceremonial Hall

Shishinden is the main hall of the palace where official ceremonies, including the enthronement of the emperor and installation of the crown prince, take place. Although the existing hall was rebuilt in the Edo period (1855), the building still preserves the Shindenzukuri style of the Heian Era. The large building with its cypress-bark roof is surrounded by a long wooden hallway, and the floor is elevated above ground level. At the center of the hall sits the imperial throne (called the takamikura).